We're helping Kāpiti get tsunami ready
A reminder for Ōtaki residents who live in the tsunami evacuation zones. Next Sunday 2 July the Kāpiti Coast District Council will be door-knocking with help volunteers to help Kāpiti get tsunami ready. Paekakariki will follow on from that, with door-knockers calling around on Sunday 23 July.
Group Manager Corporate Services Wayne Maxwell says the community is responding well to the door-knocking.
“In Kāpiti, there are over 8000 properties sitting in tsunami evacuation zones, and over 20,000 people living in those zones. We’re nearly half way through our door-knocking and we’ve had some great feedback from residents, some letting us know they thought they weren’t in the zone, so that’s positive for everyone involved,” says Mr Maxwell.
“Research we carried out in February 2017 shows that around 20% of people in a zone don’t know they are. We’ve completed door-knocking in Waikanae, Te Horo and Raumati, so if you’re in a tsunami evacuation zone in Ōtaki, Paekākāriki or Paraparaumu, you can expect a knock on the door during the weekend in the coming months. It’ll be our Council reps and volunteers dropping by to hand over some detailed information about tsunami – the warning signs, and what to do and where to go if one hits the Coast,” says Mr Maxwell.
The Council is also well underway with hosting drop-in info sessions in each community to answer any questions and facilitate a community conversation about warning systems in Kāpiti.
“We know that there was confusion after the November earthquake within our community around whether or not people living in evacuation zones should evacuate, and that some were concerned about the absence of tsunami warning sirens,” says Mr Maxwell.
“These sessions are a chance for the community to come and talk to us about what’s in place, and the pros and cons of different options we could consider in the future.”
The next of these session will be in Raumati, with local residents invited to come along next Tuesday 27 June at 7pm to the Kāpiti Bowling Club at 1 Matatua Road to be part of the conversation. The Te Horo drop-in session will take place the following evening – Wednesday 28 June – from 7pm at the Te Horo Fire Station on School Road.
More information:
www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/Our-District/cdem/Tsunami/how-were-helping-kapiti-get-tsunami-ready/
23 June 2017